Dear Parent/Carer
I want to let you know about the wide variety of support for your child’s mental health and wellbeing at UCC, and make you aware of other services which are available.
We place huge importance on supporting all our students in managing their mental health and wellbeing and this is a key focus of our RSHE and PSHE programmes. All students have two sessions per week with their Form Tutor focusing on these issues and there is always a wellbeing and reflection session. Form Tutors are the first point of contact for any student who has some worries or is feeling a bit low. Heads of Year are also available to provide support.
In addition, we have a large team of Mental Health First Aiders who are able to support students in a more structured manner, supporting their mental health and wellbeing. If your child feels they would benefit from seeing a MHFA, they should speak with their Form Tutor or Head of Year.
All UCC students also have access to Kooth which is a free online counselling and emotional wellbeing support service. Children and young people can access Kooth’s services online at home. In addition to this we also run a supported Kooth session in school every lunchtime in Room 30 which any child can attend without an appointment.
Barnardos Link service also work in school supporting students who have been through the referral process, and this term we also have an Occupational Therapist working with students for whom referrals have been made.
If you are concerned about your child’s wellbeing, especially if this is impacting their attendance at school, you might want to consider engaging with the Families in Mind programme available from Carlisle and Eden Mind to support parents. Details of this, and of Kooth can be found at the following links:
https://cemind.org/our-services/children-and-young-people-services/
In addition to the above we also now offer a support group for students who have recently suffered a bereavement; this takes place every other Friday lunchtime in room 109.
Every Life Matters is also offering a free online & in person course for parents and carers on how best we can support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This can be accessed through Eventbrite . Furthermore, students who experience issues with self-harm can access an online support group via Alumina at https://www.selfharm.co.uk/.
As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, and hopefully return to normal, we know that many young people have found the experience to be very challenging and this has impacted upon their mental health and wellbeing. We therefore remain committed to supporting students in developing resilience, ensuring good attendance at school and managing their wellbeing in a positive way.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact their Form Tutor or Head of Year to discuss how we can support you both around this.
Yours faithfully
Ms F Gaizely
Assistant Headteacher